


The Stars

by luuvvy



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, sorry for not being able to complete this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:33:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25792918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luuvvy/pseuds/luuvvy
Summary: Diana Cavendish relies on the stars to tell her future. They’re what she has left of her mother. However, when she discovers who her true love is, she can’t believe it.discontinued, but i may pick it up again one day!
Relationships: Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys!! i decided to finally post this from my drafts. unfortunately, ive lost passion for the show. however, this is one of my favorite written fics, so i decided to post anyway. happy reading!

“Mother! Tell me more about my future!” The young Diana Cavendish exclaimed, astonished by her mother’s astrology magic. She had always loved learning more about her and her mother’s future in hopes of some sort of miracle to suddenly appear in their timelines to cure her ill mother. It had become a habit for Diana to ask her mother for more fortune telling. Diana came to her mother’s bedside nearly everyday just to ask about her future life, even if her mother sometimes declined Diana’s wish.

Diana’s mother, Bernadette Cavendish, sweetly smiled at the young girl and patted her head, “It’s not always good to know every single thing about your future. I’ve already told you that you would personally meet Shiny Chariot one day and that you would become a marvelous witch. What else is there for you to know about?”

Diana hummed, “Do you mind looking into my personal life instead? All you’ve been telling me is how I would become a talented and famous witch, but I want to know more about other things!”

Her sweet mother picked up her wand that sat on the desk beside her bed and cast the astrology magic. Her eyes widened a little, but her genuine smile remained unaltered, “Would you like to know about your love life? It seems the most interesting from what I’ve seen so far.”

Diana blushed. She didn’t normally think about who she might end up falling in love with, but when her mother had mentioned it, the thought of romance made her heart suddenly jump. It wasn’t the usual reaction she usually had at the thought of love, but anything her mother would tell her was interesting. Perhaps it was just because of a bias, but Diana just really wanted to hear anything from her mother at this point.

Diana exclaimed, “Yes, please!” She could hardly wait to know who she would spend the rest of her life with. Although she had never thought about her love life before, Diana could barely contain her excitement. 

“You appear to be enchanted by this charming brunette girl with crimson eyes. She seems to always be getting into trouble and can be very impulsive,” Bernadette chuckled to herself. “She almost seems to be the complete opposite of you.”

Diana crossed her arms, “Why would I want to spend my life with a loud person that gets into trouble? I don’t think we would get along very well.” She squeezed tighter onto her bear, wondering just what was so special about this girl.

“Tell me more, mother.”

“It appears you would have to clean up after this girl’s messes very often and she doesn’t seem to be very talented in magic either. In fact, she isn’t even from a witch family,” Bernadette’s soft laughter continued until her magic seemed to be flickering. “Ah, it seems like we will have to stop for today. I’ll have to find a better way to recharge these wands or perhaps my magic is just simply deteriorating along with my health.”

“Mother! What did I tell you about talking so sadly like that?” Diana cried out. “I’ll take care of everything so you can focus on getting better, so stop talking like that!”

Her ill mother only replied with a soft chuckle that was quickly followed by a devastating cough.

“Aunt Daryl! Mother is—“

Diana’s aunt, Daryl Cavendish, quickly rushed into the room to tend to her ill older sister. “Diana, you should play with the other kids. I’ll take care of your mother.”

Diana listened to her aunt, but left the room in hesitance. She felt a force of tears welling up in her eyes, unsure of what she was upset about. Her mother would be fine, right? 

Even though Diana was upset about her mother, her mind seemed to unconsciously wander off to that girl she was supposed to marry on boring days without her mother. They hadn’t finished their conversation yet. It had been days since she last saw Bernadette Cavendish. As soon as Diana’s mother was feeling better again, she swore to herself she would pick up from where they had last left off. Diana was dying to know just who this ‘charming’ untalented loud mess of a person was.

Andrew Hanbridge tapped Diana’s shoulder, “You have been like this for days. What’s troubling you? If it’s about your mother, I’m sure your mother will be fine. She’s a powerful witch related to Beatrix after all.” Andrew was Diana’s best friend and someone she considered to be as her older brother. He always knew when someone was troubled and he always knew how to comfort them. Diana was often jealous of him because of that.

“It’s because of this astrology prediction my mother had told me before Aunt Daryl had kicked me out of my mother’s room. It’s about my love life,” Diana sighed. “I’m supposed to marry this girl that’s untalented with magic and has no background of witches. I just find it unbelievable.”

Andrew chuckled, “Have you ever considered that maybe her background and talent didn’t matter? I’m sure she’s much more than just a magic dunce.” Even though Andrew wasn’t a big fan of magic, he knew better than to doubt Bernadette Cavendish’s fortune telling—or magic in general.

“My mother had basically told me that even her personality isn’t all that great. My mother did call her ‘charming’, but I’ve always thought my mother had strange taste anyway. My mother described this girl to be loud and a troublemaker and that I had to clean up after this monster of a girl! I don’t understand,” Diana huffed. “What’s so good about a stupid no-brain non-witch dunce that doesn’t even have a decent personality. Mother had even said our personalities were almost complete opposites!” Diana released all of her stress and anger as soon as she let all of that out.

Andrew raised an eyebrow, “Almost?”

The young blonde nodded, putting in air quotations when she repeated back the word ‘almost’. “I don’t get what she means by almost complete opposites when clearly we are actual complete opposites!”

The young boy attempted to stifle a laugh, but failed, “How about you stop thinking about this and just wait until you meet your mystery wife? You look like you might explode any moment now. Your face is all red.”

“I have the right to be angry,” the young blonde pouted. “I would rather not spend my life with some imbecile that would probably be completely useless and play a horrible role in my life.”

“Despite you hating this girl that you don’t even know because you haven’t met her yet, you sure talk about this mystery girl quite a lot,” Andrew chuckled. “In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you rant about someone like this. It’s actually kind of amusing and a lot more different from the usual you. You’re always so boring, but I guess love really can change you.”

“Oh, shut it, Andrew!” Diana stuck out her tongue and stomped her foot into the ground. “Don’t you ever find yourself curious about these things? You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t.”

Before Andrew could answer, Diana’s twin cousins, Maril and Merrill rushed outside, “Diana!” They looked distraught and out of breath as if they had rushed over to her to tell her about the terrible news.

“What’s wrong?” Diana furrowed her eyebrows. “Is everything alright?”

Maril glanced over at Andrew, ignoring Diana before having to deliver her message, “Good afternoon, Andrew. How is your father? I haven’t seen him around lately.”

“He’s been fine,” Andrew uncomfortably shifted. “It seems like there’s something going on, so if you’d like me to leave, I’ll do so.”

Merrill nodded, “It would be appreciated.”

With that, the young Andrew quickly left to join a group of girls that had been patiently waiting for him to finish talking to Diana.

Diana was getting impatient, “What happened? Tell me already!” Her concern had only continued to grow as her older cousins struggled to speak.

Merrill dug her nails into her left arm, pursing her lips, “Well…” She trailed off, not knowing what to say. ”There’s been—“

Maril interrupted Merrill, “Your mother. She’s requests to see you.”

Diana smiled, “Really? I haven’t seen her in days! Why do you guys seem so upset then? It’s not bad news, right?” She was mentally bouncing up and down, absolutely delighted to see her mother.

Maril mumbled, “I think you should hear it from Auntie yourself.”

Merrill patted Diana’s head, “Go on inside. She’s waiting for you.”

Diana quickly entered her mother’s sleeping quarters. She was excited to see her mother, whether she had to deliver bad news or not.

“Hi, dear,” Bernadette managed to croak out, feeling much more ill than ever before. She was in a state of fatigue and stress, so her sickness had gotten even worse. “Sit with me.”

“What’s wrong, mother? Are you feeling alright? Your voice doesn’t sound too good,” Diana furrowed her eyebrows again, feeling her stress and concern making its return. “You should be focusing on getting better, not inviting me inside to talk.”

“Would you like to continue our conversation? Your aunt, Daryl, was generous enough to let me use her wand,” her mother smiled. “We can continue reading into your future.”

The young girl raised an eyebrow, “Why would Aunt Daryl lend you her wand just to perform basic astrology magic? Aunt Daryl isn’t that nice. What got her to change her mind about letting people borrow things?” Diana knew it wasn’t polite to talk about a relative that way, but she was always so comfortable telling her mother about everything that crossed her mind, even if it was to insult her mother’s very own sister.

Bernadette let out a laugh, “Perhaps she feels a little sorry for me. I am a sick woman after all.”

“Aunt Daryl isn’t exactly the devil, I suppose,” Diana shrugged. “Anyway, I’m not particularly interested in my own future at the moment. In fact, thanks to that fortune telling of my love life, I don’t think I can even sleep at night! I can’t believe I would end up falling for some girl like that!”

Bernadette shushed Diana, “Shh, keep your voice down. From what I have seen so far, I can tell you that she is a charming young witch and future wife. I can tell you much more about her if you’d like, except her name of course. I’m actually afraid that you would end up avoiding her if I gave you her name.”

Diana pouted, “I guess that’s fine.” She was reluctant to hear about this girl again, yet she was also quite excited. The young girl wasn’t sure why.

Bernadette picked up the wand that was on her desk which was presumably Aunt Daryl’s. Green beaming lights that took shape of stars and constellations flashed in front of the mother and daughter as Bernadette casted her spell. No matter how many times Diana saw the astrology magic, she was always amazed by it—even if it was basic magic. It was similar to how she was always amazed by her idol, Shiny Chariot.

“Ah,” Diana’s mother hummed. “I see a lot of great adventures with you two and a lot of other witches too. You seemed to have made a lot of friends along with your future lover. Isn’t that marvelous?” She swayed her head back and forth as if she were a child waiting for her favorite TV show to come on.

“Adventures and friends? That hardly sounds like something I’d grow up having,” Diana groaned. “I want to find that world altering magic you’ve always talked about by  _ myself _ .”

The older blonde laughed, “You’re only a child. Lighten up a bit, dear.”

Diana pouted again, “Whatever! Just tell me more about this girl already. I feel like my head might explode if I don’t know if she’ll be useful to me or not.”

Bernadette chuckled, “You talk as if she’s some future maid of yours. She’s your  _ lover _ , Diana! Relax a bit, dear. She’s not there to cause any harm to you.”

“And how do you know that?”

“I’m the one with the fortune telling magic, am I not? Besides, this girl will show you a side of yourself you won’t even know about until then.”

“A side of myself? What do you mean?”

Bernadette’s magic flickered as she turned the wand back into its compressed state, “That’s for you to figure out when the time comes.”

Diana sadly sighed to herself, “Aw…” 

Bernadette reached over to her daughter to give her a tight embrace, “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to leave again. Aunt Daryl can be quite strict about visitors since I’m very ill.”

Diana huffed, “Again? Ugh, I don’t want to go through this again!”

Bernadette let go of Diana, “Everything will be okay, dear. Don’t you worry.” She tapped Diana’s small nose and giggled.

Diana rolled her eyes, “You owe me four hours worth of stories because of your recent absences!”

“Yes, yes, dear. Go on now. Aunt Daryl will be back any time now and I already know she’ll be blowing my head off once she notices her wand battery has been drained,” Bernadette giggled. “I wouldn’t want her to be upset once she realized you might be sick from spending time with me.”

Somehow, Bernadette just looked so much more at peace than usual, as if a huge boulder that she had been holding got lifted off of her chest. Diana couldn’t place her finger on what her mother might have been thinking or feeling.

Diana reluctantly nodded and skipped back outside, humming in satisfaction despite acting like a brat just a few seconds ago. In all honesty, she was content with the fact her future wife would be someone she could go on adventures with, even if Diana preferred being alone. Maybe that was what her mother meant when she said that this future lover of hers would bring out another side of Diana? 

No, that would be too simple to guess.

Andrew gazed up from the girls when he saw Diana happily skipping out of her home, “Back already? You seem quite happy as well.”

Diana awkwardly greeted the girls surrounding Andrew and nodded, “Yes, I am actually happy. She did tell me some things I would rather hear other than the fact I’d marry a loud mess.”

Andrew went through the small crowd of girls and smiled, “That’s good to know. Any recent developments on your mother’s condition?”

“I completely forgot to ask her.” Diana shrugged, “It’s not like Mother would tell me anyway.”

The older boy nodded, “Your mother tends to be a little secretive, which  _ also _ tends to be a very negative thing.”

Diana sighed, “I completely agree with you for once. It’s a little unsettling to know she keeps so many secrets, including that of her own health.”

“You should ask her now, shouldn’t you?” Andrew suggested. “It would be bad if it turned out her condition had actually worsened.”

Diana flinched, “Worsened? You don’t actually think…”

Andrew shrugged, “I’m just saying that it might be best to make sure.”

Andrew and Diana went into the Cavendish household to check on Bernadette Cavendish, greeting workers as they passed by.

Diana’s older cousins, however, had noticed them sneaking around the house.

Maril raised an eyebrow, “Where do you think you’re going, Diana?” Maril seemed awfully rude compared to how she was just not too long ago.

Merrill sighed, “Diana, Andrew, I suggest you two head back and go play outside.” Merrill waved her hand as if to say ‘shoo’. She acted as if Diana and Andrew were flies disturbing dinner.

Diana muttered, “Is it so wrong to want to know if my mother is alright? Besides, it’s not like you can control us. You’re barely 2 years older than us.” She tried to speak quietly, but also wanted her statement to be loud enough for the twins to hear.

Merrill flinched, “You shouldn’t see Auntie yet. She’s sick and Mom specifically told all of us to stay out of Auntie’s room. It’s not a good idea…”

Maril added on, “Right! Auntie is pretty sick, so you should stay away from her. Mom is only in there with Auntie because she’s an adult that can perform magic meant to be medicine or whatever.”

Andrew stood up straight and leaned closer to the twins, “You two are  _ so  _ hiding something.” He smirked as he pushed away the girls when they flinched at the sudden invasion of space. He grabbed Diana’s hand to make a quick getaway to the closest room, which just so happened to be Bernadette Cavendish’s room. He quickly locked it so the twins couldn’t get in.

One of the twins screamed from the other side of the door, “That brat!” It was hard to tell who was Maril or Merrill, but trying to tell their voices apart was beyond impossible.

Diana whispered to Andrew, slightly concerned, but mostly amused, “How’d you get so strong? You do realize you just pushed down two witches right? They’re taller and older than you too.”

Andrew shrugged, “I’m a Hanbridge. What can I say?” He grinned in satisfaction at the recognition of his strength.

Diana glanced up and saw Aunt Daryl and her mother. Aunt Daryl appeared to be feeding her mother some sort of antidote, most likely the one her aunt had shown Diana a few weeks prior to Bernadette’s illness. Bernadette’s younger sister had said that it was expected of her mother to become sick eventually, so she brewed some sort of medicine for her sister beforehand, but the antidote worked at a very slow pace. It didn’t appear to be working as far as Diana could tell.

Aunt Daryl glanced around the room and she screamed in shock, “Diana! Sir Hanbridge! What on Earth are you two doing here? You shouldn’t be here right now! Now isn’t the time!” She seemed terrified as if the two children being there could have been the worst thing in the world right then and there.

Diana pouted, “I just want to see my mother! Why is everyone so against that today?” She felt like crying and screaming, but she couldn’t do that in front of Andrew. She hated crying in front of him because he always mocked her.

Aunt Daryl nervously looked around the room and then back at the bed, “Diana, I’m serious. This isn’t the best time for you to be here. I’ll explain everything tomorrow.” The older woman’s eyes were sunken and she seemed like she was on the verge of sobbing. Just what was she so scared to tell Diana?

Andrew tugged onto Diana’s sleeve, “I think it might be best if we leave. Your aunt seems to be quite serious.” Andrew knew he needed to act eventually. Diana was a stubborn and impulsive child that could be very selfish at times, so he knew he had to be the voice of reason.

Diana pulled her arm away from Andrew and raised her voice, “Aunt Daryl, I need you to tell me what’s going on. You’ll have to tell me eventually and I’m sure Mother has already told you to tell me at this point. Please.” Her voice cracked; Diana was close to her breaking point.

Daryl glanced down at Bernadette Cavendish where she was lying down as if asking for some sort of encouragement with her pleading eyes. She needed her sister more than anything right now. Aunt Daryl simply just didn’t have the heart to tell Diana the upsetting truth. “Well, Bernadette? Tell me. What should I do?” Tears welled up in Daryl’s eyes, unsure if she could even continue talking.

Diana’s mother croaked out in a raspy low dry voice, “Tell her, Daryl. It’s for her own good. She’ll have to find out eventually anyway.” Her body was laid out on her bed with little to no movement as if she were paralyzed, but it seemed more like Bernadette Cavendish was simply exhausted as per usual. 

Aunt Daryl took a seat on an empty space on her elder sister’s bed whilst motioning to her young niece to sit with her, “Young Hanbridge, I apologize, but I suggest you leave. This is important family matters that outsiders simply shouldn’t be overhearing.”

Andrew bowed down to Aunt Daryl and nodded, “I understand, ma’am. I’ll be taking my leave now.” He waved goodbye to his younger friend and left with a soft click coming from the door that indicated he most likely tried to close the door as quietly as possible in consideration of Bernadette’s ill condition.

Diana slowly walked over to her mother’s bedside and sat down on the floor like how she used to when waiting to hear a story from her mother. Although she had grown out of that stage despite merely being 6 years old, she couldn’t help but be reminded of past memories with her mother before her illness had overcome her.

Aunt Daryl took in a sharp breath, glancing in every direction of the room possible. She almost seemed like lasers could have shot out from her eyes at any second. 

“Diana, there is something I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while now. Your mother and I have been discussing when to tell you, and as you can see, now appears to be the time,” Aunt Daryl began. “I know you’re very mature for your age, so I hope you manage to take this news well.”

Bernadette chuckled in response, “You shouldn’t expect my daughter to keep a poker-face all day upon hearing the news.” 

Diana’s mother let out a harsh cough after finishing her sentence, which got Diana to yelp in fear while Aunt Daryl got a water bottle using a levitation spell with her wand that had been in her hand the whole time due to being interrupted while brewing something. Her very first priority before delivering the message to Diana was that Bernadette had rest and wasn’t dehydrated.

After Aunt Daryl had calmed down, her eyes were much more tired than before. It was almost as if upon blinking, she just grew more tired. Had she been getting enough sleep since her elder sister had become ill?

“Your mother,” Daryl began. “She’s ill, as you know.” She stopped, not knowing how to casually give Diana the news that she had kept bottled up for weeks now. ‘Your mother and I aren’t sure if she’ll make it’ was all Diana’s aunt had wanted to say, but it was so difficult. Why did it have to be so hard to tell a child about the inevitable? Diana would have to figure it out eventually.

Bernadette held Daryl’s hand for support, “You can tell her, Daryl.” Bernadette was used to Daryl’s inner conflicts and was always there for her whenever something similar happened. She was there to lend support to her younger sister whenever she could. It was her duty as an older sister after all. 

Diana pouted, “Aunt Daryl, you can tell me. Mother is even encouraging you to do so. What are you so scared of? I won’t hate you or anything.” She was confused about what the fuss was about. She was worried about how Aunt Daryl’s anxiety looked like it could be detected from miles away. What was Aunt Daryl so scared of?

“I’m sorry, dear. It’s difficult for me to do so because I’m scared of what the outcome would be,” Aunt Daryl explained.

“What do you mean?” Diana was very intelligent and mature for her age, but even then, she couldn’t wrap her head around the fact her aunt was scared of something. She had vivid memories of her aunt being rude to whoever it may be and not have a single hint of hesitation. 

Bernadette croaked, “Daryl…” Her grip on her younger sister’s hand tightened to let her sister know that she had her full support.

“Bernadette!” Aunt Daryl cried. “I c-ca—”

Diana got up to embrace her weeping aunt. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she wanted to let her aunt know that everything would be okay. “It’s okay, Aunt Daryl. You can tell me.” 

Aunt Daryl sobbed, “I’m so sorry, Diana…” She held onto Diana, trembling. “I don’t know if your mother will make it.” Aunt Daryl looked up at Diana who was still embracing her from Bernadette’s bedside. She didn’t know how Diana might have reacted. She felt like a horrible aunt for not trying harder to help Bernadette. 

Daryl felt all of her guilt pour out, embracing her small niece with slightly more force than necessary.

Diana whispered, “It’ll be okay…” She trailed off, not knowing how she was feeling herself. Would her mother really not make it?

She watched her aunt sob, feeling tears well up in her eyes herself. She was on the verge of letting those tears fall, but she had to keep her serene. The young girl didn’t want to let her aunt feel even worse.

Bernadette smiled, watching her younger sister and daughter bonding, “I’m glad. I love you both. Thank you, Daryl.” She closed her eyes and smiled, looking more elegant than ever. 

Diana’s eyes went wide, realizing what had just happened immediately. Her mother had been holding out for so long, just for this very moment.

“MOTHER!” Diana screamed, unable to keep her tears in for any longer. She let her tears fall, splattering all over her fallen mother’s bed. She was trembling; Diana didn’t know what to do. Her mother was gone. 

Aunt Daryl got up, no longer weeping, and held Diana’s hand to escort her outside Bernadette Cavendish’s room, “I’m sorry.” It was all Daryl knew how to say.

At first glance, Daryl looked serious and functional, but Diana noticed that she was trembling. Her eyes were bloodshot and her eyes seemed glossy, as if tears were threatening to spill any moment now. Daryl called servants over with a straight face that looked so painfully dull and upset, hoping no one would notice her broken state. “We must prepare for her funeral soon. My sister deserves a grand burial.”

Diana was kicked out while every servant in the household all gathered into her mother’s room, so she couldn’t hear what was going on inside. She just assumed Aunt Daryl was planning some sort of expensive funeral to respect Bernadette as much as she could.

Andrew perked up, noticing Diana immediately, “Diana, are you alright? You look… Nevermind.” He decided that it was best to not bring up Diana’s painfully upsetting face. “Just what happened there?”

Diana choked back a sob, biting her lip, deciding to stay quiet. She knew her voice would likely crack and that if she said anything about her mother’s passing, she would break down in front of Andrew, so instead of replying, she just ignored him and headed to her usual secret spot she went to whenever she needed to contemplate on life.

She quickly walked away to avoid the older boy, but he just continued following her from a few feet behind. She felt her tears threatening to spill again, knowing full well Andrew was just worried about her, but she didn’t need a shoulder to cry on. She was perfectly  _ fine _ .

Unexpectedly, Andrew didn’t speak at all during their trip to Diana’s secret spot. He must have known that Diana needed alone time, yet he continued to follow her. 

“Will you  _ please  _ just leave me alone?” Diana’s voice cracked, “You’re making this hard enough.” She was angry and upset, as would any child be if they had watched their mother pass away and some boy was tailing them to their private area.

Andrew didn’t seem to be surprised at the sudden response, “You must know I’m not going to actually leave until you tell me what’s wrong.” He pleaded Diana with his passionate emerald eyes.

“If you really want to know that bad,” Diana huffed, trying to regulate her breathing again. “My mother…” She trailed off, questioning if she might cry anytime soon. 

Diana was right; tears threatened to spill again.

Andrew jumped at Diana’s pained facial expression and quickly embraced her as if doing it out of panic, “It’s okay, Diana. Everything will be fine. Sorry for doing this to you. I kind of knew already anyway.”

“You knew?”

Andrew retracted his body from Diana’s and nodded in confirmation, “Your servants seemed quite panicked today and I overheard your aunt saying something about your mom. I’m sorry for your loss, Diana. I can’t believe Miss Cavendish is actually…” He trailed off, not wanting to worsen his younger friend’s current state of mind.

Diana failed to keep her tears in and let it all out. Her tears spilled onto the grass while her arms and legs trembled. “Andrew, I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Diana continued sobbing, “I wish I could have been more honest with her, but it’s too late now.”

“Shh, it’s okay. It’ll be okay.”

Diana prayed that Andrew was right. 


	2. Chapter 2

Diana, keeping in mind that she was in a crowd that could hear her, mumbling incoherent curses as she saw 3 teenage girls crash onto the hard wooden floor from the portal. They were right in the middle of Luna Nova’s orientation and definitely did not come in with such a noisy entrance on purpose. The headmistress and teachers surely wouldn’t allow them to attend since they were late anyway. Just what on Earth were those girls doing? 

As if a loud ruckus from the unexpected entrance had not disturbed the orientation, Headmistress Holbrooke cleared her throat, “And that concludes the orientation ceremony. Students, please head to your designated dormitory or feel free to explore the campus. Of course, stay off of the forbidden and closed off areas.” She gave the students a sweet smile and clapped to signal that the ceremony was over.

Hannah burst out as she headed out with Diana and Barbara to their dorm rooms, “What the hell? I can’t believe I overheard the headmistress actually allowed those barbaric witches to be allowed to stay! That’s quite insane, isn’t it? This is why Luna Nova’s reputation is going down the gutter these days.”

Barbara placed her right hand on her hips and sighed. She recalled, “Did you see that brunette girl? We saw her this morning, didn’t we? What was her name again? Akko or something like that?”

Hannah groaned, “Yeah. She’s that new student that’s not from a witch family, right? She’s pretty lucky to have even gotten in despite coming to Luna Nova late and not even having any magic powers,” Hannah rolled her eyes. “The headmistress is way too nice to her. I seriously don’t get it. Does she no longer have any pride for Luna Nova?”

Diana flinched, “Did you two say a brunette with no witch background?” She remembered her mother telling her about her future soulmate. Diana had spent all 10 years only studying about magic after her mother’s passing, but the thought of her potential soulmate never left her mind. As much as she believed in her mother’s powerful and accurate magic, Diana couldn’t believe that her soulmate would be someone that was talentless in magic. Diana was attending Luna Nova, a school full of witches. It simply just wouldn’t add up if a non-witch walked into Luna Nova and got accepted just like that. Of course, not much to Diana’s liking, it did seem that someone without any experience with magic had gotten allowed to stay.

Hannah seemed a little suspicious as of why Diana had taken a sudden interest in a conversation of talking badly of another student, but nodded, “Earlier she was asking us when the bus was coming or whatever. I guess that airhead didn’t even realize that she had to fly in with a broom.” Then, Hannah stopped completely frozen for a moment. “You don’t… You don’t know this person, right?” The last thing Hannah wanted was being caught talking trash about someone Diana was friends with.

Diana sighed as she unlocked the door to their dormitory to enter inside, “I personally don't know her. I suppose I can just say that I know of her, assuming this is the same person my mother had told me about.”

“Your mother had talked about Akko before? Why would the former head of the Cavendish family need to even mention this girl? There’s no way she’s from a famous family close to the Cavendishes, right?” Hannah inquired. “I don’t mean to be rude if that is the case. Uh, it just doesn’t seem right.”

Diana’s heart ached at the word ‘former’, but kept a straight face, “She told me that I was supposed to meet someone important to me that had brown hair and red eyes. Mother said something about how she wasn’t that great with magic and she didn’t come from any noble witch family.” She slowly grew more uncomfortable as she talked about Akko and her mother. She never knew the day would come where she might actually meet the person her mother was so excited for Diana to meet. 

Barbara nodded, not questioning a single thing, “I still don’t really get it, but okay. Although, those details are really vague. We can help you confirm whether she’s the person your mother was talking about if you want.”

Diana awkwardly chuckled, “No, that’s quite fine. I think I would just like to rest for now. I’m quite tired from today already for some reason.” 

She made her way to her bed that was separated from the other two girls’ beds by a large bookshelf. It was practically her own work space that she had spent a few hours setting up two school years ago since she had attended Luna Nova at 13 years old, which was the minimum age of being able to attend Luna Nova.

She collapsed onto her bed, deeply sighing. Diana slowly closed her eyes, taking in another heavy breath and slowly exhaling just a bit later. She had a lot to think about from today. There was no way this Akko girl could have been her future lover that her mother seemed so fond of, right? Diana had clearly seen how she made quite the ruckus with 2 other girls during the entrance ceremony and she was sure there was a brunette with big red eyes in the middle, but Diana still could not wrap her head around the fact that there was someone that could be her lover in her reach. The thought of such a thing had made Diana almost go into denial. Almost.

She had spent years trying to study astrology magic, but her magic had never been as powerful as her mother’s. Diana was tired of worrying about someone who was inevitably unavoidable, so she decided to focus on her studies, but even then, she still couldn’t stop thinking about her mother’s last fortune telling. 

Diana’s eyes fluttered as an idea came over her. She muttered to herself, “If my soulmate is close by, then it shouldn’t be difficult to figure out if Akko is truly my soulmate.” The heiress picked up her wand that had been resting on her long wooden desk. She cast the astrology spell that had been slowly perfected more and more when she practiced with the new astrology professor, Professor Ursula, in her spare time. 

Holographic images of stars and constellations that glowed an emerald-like color surrounded her, slowly floating around as if the stars were really from space. 

Diana mumbled the spell and request to see her future to herself as her cheeks began to get slightly hotter. It was surprisingly embarrassing to say out loud. 

Diana squinted as she realized that nothing was happening, “What on Earth is going on?”

She repeatedly attempted to recast the spell, but Hannah had interrupted her.

“Diana? There’s someone who would like to speak with you,” Hannah’s voice squeaked from the other side of Diana’s bookshelf. “S-Sorry if I interrupted anything!”

With a click, Diana’s wand sprang into a smaller size. She slid her wand into her blue sash and slowly walked out, slightly irritated that her moment of truth had been interrupted, she still assured Hannah, “No, it’s fine. I was just about done anyway.”

“H-Hi, Diana,” Professor Ursula greeted Diana with a polite smile and wave, constantly fidgeting as per usual. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet. She’s been struggling for a while and I thought that you might be able to help her.”

A shorter girl with red eyes and brown hair jumped into the room from behind Professor Ursula and grinned, “Show me some cool magic stuff! I never really got the chance to practice as a child since there’s apparently supposed to be some sort of magic stone that’s the source of all magic or whatever. It’d be really cool if you got to show me how to do whatever witches can do!”

Diana flinched, unsure of what to say. She didn’t expect for the girl to be so jumpy and excited to see magic. As much as Diana loved magic herself, she didn’t have the courage to express it as much as the girl standing before her. The brunette girl was almost like a child; it made Diana almost jealous. Almost.

Professor Ursula apologized, “Ah, sorry for the sudden intrusion. Akko, you should introduce yourself better.”

“Fine, fine,” the shorter girl pouted. “I’m Atsuko Kagari, but you can just call me Akko. I’m here at Luna Nova to become just like Shiny Chariot! Have you heard of her?” She bounced up and down as if she were a puppy just ready to be adopted.

Barbara raised an eyebrow, “Shiny Chariot, huh? Everyone has heard of her, stupid. She’s that performer that eventually ran off. She’s not that great of a witch either. I don’t see the excitement for her anymore.”

Hannah added, “Not to mention, no one even knows where she is anymore. How long has it been? 10 years? I’m genuinely surprised that there's still people that admire her.”

Diana nodded, forcing the words to come out of her mouth, “They’re right. Shiny Chariot is honestly a disgrace to witches and tradition itself. I honestly don’t find it very pleasing to know that I might have to mentor someone who looks up to the witch that neglected her studies and ran off to be some sort of circus act.”

Diana hated herself for that the moment she said it. Her heart ached. She has always been afraid of telling people how she really felt. She needed to be more honest with herself, yet Diana still insisted on hating Shiny Chariot. Diana was terrified of how others would view her, so her only way to escape criticism was to join the winning party’s side. That was always the best choice. 

As much as Professor Ursula hated speaking up, she felt like the conversation might be getting too out of control if she didn’t stop it. She squeaked out, “Ladies, do you mind calming down?”

Akko ignored the professor’s request and proceeded to argue back, “I don’t care what anyone says. Shiny Chariot didn’t run away, even if no one knows where she is right now. You’re the stupid one to believe she’s even a disgrace. Don’t you think it’s awesome to perform magic shows as an entertainer to keep people happy?”

Hannah rolled her eyes, “I heard you aren’t even from a witch family nor can you even ride a broom. For Luna Nova’s first failure, you sure do talk a lot about becoming some powerful witch.”

Akko bit her tongue, “Why you—”

Professor Ursula cut off Akko, “Ah, I s-suppose this isn’t a good time, right? I’ll talk to you later, Diana. Let’s get going, Akko. You have a long day of training ahead of you.” She sweetly smiled at the trio with blue sashes and quickly headed out with Akko’s hand in hers.

Hannah immediately sighed when the door closed while wrinkling her brows together, “What on Earth is Professor Ursula thinking? There’s no way Akko—Diana?” 

She glanced over at her suspiciously quiet blonde friend, “Diana, is something wrong?”

Diana didn’t notice her face was hot and close to tears. She shook her head, “Everything is fine. I think I just need to go out for some fresh air. I’ll be joining you two later.”

Barbara frowned as she always sharp whenever it came to small details in a person, “Are you sure?” 

The heiress nodded, “I assure you that I’m fine.”

“But—”

“I’ll be taking my leave now,” Diana sighed as she closed the door behind her. 

Diana quietly mumbled to herself as she walked around the halls of Luna Nova, unsure of what to do. Atsuko Kagari. That had to have been the girl in her mother’s fortune telling. Who else could it be? 

Diana groaned, “This is all so stupid.”

“What’s so stupid?”

Diana stopped her pacing around the halls and squeaked, not expecting a response from a random person in the halls.

“Ooh! You’re the girl from just a few minutes ago..”

Diana regained her poise and cleared her throat, embarrassed that she had been caught off guard like that, “I’m Diana Cavendish. You’re Atsuko, correct?”

Akko beamed, “Oh hey, you remember my name! You can call me Akko though. You don’t have to be so formal with me. Nice to meet you, Diana!”

Diana cringed at Akko’s sudden positive outburst, still unsure if she was really the ‘one’, “Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you as well…”

The brunette standing before Diana repeatedly blinked her eyes as if unsure of what she was seeing, “Do you really hate Shiny Chariot that much?”

Diana’s heart ached at the sudden question, “Why do you ask?”

“You don’t seem like the type of person that would hate Shiny Chariot,” Akko raised an eyebrow. “I mean, you don’t really look like pure evil.”

Diana cleared her throat, “N-No, I believe you’re mistaken. I can’t imagine spending years mastering the arts of magic just to entertain commoners all over the world. It would be much better to find some way to contribute to the world of magic rather than to waste your time on useless entertainment that could be easily recreated by the technology people have nowadays.”

She paused for a moment, realizing she said too much, which embarrassed her. However, she continued, “Besides, I doubt you can really call someone evil for not liking Shiny Chariot.”

Again, Diana was absolutely livid that she had to speak so badly of the woman who had inspired her to continue with her studies and lifelong dream to become a great witch, but she was terrified. She was scared. Who knows what people would say about Diana if they found out she still looked up to an entertainer that had supposedly “fled the scene from doing so poorly at her magic shows”. Even Diana had known that wasn’t true. Chariot just wasn’t like that.

Akko stayed quiet, carefully examining Diana. Her innocent gaze made Diana want to scream. The young blonde teenager had never noticed how pretty Akko was until she made direct eye contact with the brunette. It was unusual for the heiress to get flustered around someone in this manner, but the girl standing in front of Diana wasn’t just any girl. Akko had to have been the one Diana had been searching for. At least, that’s what Diana regretfully kept telling herself.

Diana began to turn away from Akko, “Anyway, I’ll be going now. I’d prefer if you didn’t interfere with my business and bring up Shiny Chariot at every given chance. I hope you soon realize that you’ll have to give up eventually.”

“Okay,” Akko mischievously grinned.

“Is that all you’re going to say?” Diana questioned. She wasn’t used to the talkative brunette to say so little whenever Diana talked badly of her idol, with a grin, nonetheless. 

“I was just thinking that it might be cool for us to become friends… or rivals, actually. You don’t seem that bad,” the unusual brunette smiled. “I mean, you’re kind of an asshole for telling me to just let go of my lifelong dream, but overall, you’re not that bad. I don’t see anything bad about you.”

What on Earth was Akko saying? Diana couldn’t believe that despite their obvious conflict, Akko was still willing to be friends or rivals on seemingly good terms. As much as Diana wouldn’t mind losing an enemy, the idea of having Akko, the stupidly adorable girl obsessed Shiny Chariot, as a companion was definitely not on Diana’s priority list. 

It might deepen Diana’s infatuation with the girl.

Oh, Beatrix. 

The blonde rolled her eyes, “Believe what you will about me. I really must get going now.”

“Where are you going?”

“Anywhere away from you.”

Diana wasn’t necessarily lying. The main reason why she needed to get out of her dorm room in the first place was to try to get her mind off of Akko or at least to be comfortable enough with the fact that her potential soulmate was going to be one of her classmates. Actually, Akko has already become more than a mere classmate. This quick-paced ‘soulmate’ of hers had already recommended that they become friends. 

“Why do you hate me so much?” Akko suddenly asked. “All I’ve done so far was attend this school to follow my dream. What I’ve been doing so far doesn’t affect you at all.”

Diana fell silent. To her surprise, Akko wasn’t being annoying at all at the very moment. In fact, what she said was completely true. Diana was unusually harsh with Akko due to their shared interest in Shiny Chariot, but she had seen Akko waving around that wand earlier—Shiny Chariot’s wand, Shiny Rod. 

Diana already knew that Akko had been chosen by the Shiny Rod. The young scholar had done a minimal amount of research to know how the wand worked. She recognized Shiny Chariot’s wand from the ancient books in her ancestor’s old library. Akko was clearly its next possessor. There was no point in trying to follow Shiny Chariot’s footsteps when fate had quite literally chosen Akko. 

Akko groaned, “Nah, it’s whatever. You don’t gotta answer that.”

With that last statement, she walked off. 

Diana didn’t dare move from where she was. The blonde was left speechless. There were too many things racing her mind at the very moment. 

Yet, despite not even knowing Akko very well, she felt the slightest bit of regret for not stopping the brunette. 

*^*^*^*^

“Lotte, what did I do wrong? I don’t understand a single thing about Diana! She’s so weird,” Akko cried as she fidgeted around with her exclusive Shiny Chariot trading cards. “If I had a penny for every time she made me angry just from today alone, I’d have brought back the golden age of magic already!”

Ever since Akko had gotten back to her dorm room, she had been ranting about the aristocratic Diana Cavendish for nearly two hours. This made her roommates, Lotte and Sucy, very uninterested in Diana and Akko’s argument which almost seemed like a lovers’ quarrel. Of course, that lead Lotte and Sucy to believe Akko might have fallen for the gorgeous Diana Cavendish before school had even technically started. 

Lotte shrugged, “Diana wasn’t all that rude last year. Maybe she’s just on edge or something. What if she had some sort of past with Shiny Chariot? Or perhaps she’s having a bad day today? Don’t let it bother you too much.”

“Or you’re just super creepy and obsessive about Shiny Chariot,” Sucy snickered from across the small dorm.

The short-tempered brunette groaned, “Whatever! I don’t even know why I considered being her friend for a second. She seemed genuine for a bit and then I realized she actually probably hates me or something! I don’t get it at all.”

“But I bet you’d be on your knees if she were at the door right now,” Sucy snickered from her bed, book in hand.

She didn’t understand it at all. Why was Sucy teasing her about Diana as if she had a crush on the blonde? As far as the young girl could tell, Diana was far from being someone Akko would take interest in. In fact, Akko has hardly ever even found herself pondering the thought of romance. Of course, even with Akko’s lack of knowledge of romance, she couldn’t deny that Diana would be the perfect wife. She was gorgeous, rich, and smart.

Oh wait, her personality is absolute garbage, Akko reminded herself in her head. 

Akko growled, “That’s dumb. 

“But you know it, don’t you? Don’t tell me you weren’t staring at her when we crashed into the orientation because I know for a fact she stood out from everybody else,” Sucy rolled her eyes. “You were practically drooling over how gorgeous she was or whatever.”

Lotte chuckled, “And then we had to drag you out of the way before one of the teachers blew our heads off.”

Akko growled out of embarrassment, feeling the heat rising to her cheeks, “No, i-it’s just that it was my first time performing a spell like that! I was frozen in shock and just so happened to be staring at Diana! Not to mention, she literally has blonde hair and green streaks in it. Of course, she’s gonna stand out!”

Sucy snickered once again, “Sure, Akko. Sure.”

Lotte suggested, “How about you just take it easy today? You seem pretty worked up about Diana. I feel like you might end up exploding or something, so just rest or something. Classes don’t start until tomorrow anyway.”

The brunette nodded, “Yeah, you’re right. I think I’d rather go take a nap instead of thinking about that dumb blonde girl.”

The mischievous roommate, Sucy, jokingly added to taunt Akko, “The dumb blonde girl that is also very cute. Don’t you just want to go kiss and c—“

Akko got up to pounce onto Sucy, trying to snatch her book out of her hand, “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” 

“God, you’re so damn heavy,” Sucy, with all of her strength, pushed Akko off the bed and just barely managed to save her nearly demolished book. “What on Earth did your parents feed you back in Japan?”

Akko jokingly flexed her arms, “Muscle, not fat.”

The now annoyed roommate groaned, “Just go the hell to sleep. You’re no fun sometimes.” 

Lotte let out a soft laugh after just being an eyewitness for a possible murder attempt by Akko, “Right. I’d suggest you guys settle down.”

Akko groaned as she got onto her bed, slowly tucking herself in, “Whatever. Just know that I do not like Diana, alright? I’m tired of just saying her name. I dunno where you got to the conclusion that I like Diana, but I’m serious when I say that I hate her aristocratic guts!”

“Whatever you say, sweetie,” Sucy snickered as she put sarcasm into the term of endearment.

“Goodnight.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Oh. So you’re Akko,” Amanda O'Neill said. She didn’t give much of an impression, but she stood out with her feisty attitude and tomboy-ish appearance. Amanda O’Neill had short messy hair that showed a salmon color under the orange top. Akko wasn’t even sure how Amanda’s hair worked, but she was distracted by the fact that the redhead seemed to know the girl. Akko had always noticed her during their flight class, but she didn’t expect Amanda to have paid any attention to her. 

Akko wasn’t sure how to react. This was the first time they had interacted since the start of school, which was just three days ago. She was still getting the hang of things and learning who her classmates were. Akko asked, “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

Amanda chuckled, “You’re seriously famous at Luna Nova and you’ve only been here for, like, a week. I’ve heard so much about you, Akko.”

The younger brunette girl was confused. She wasn't sure how she could be famous at the prestigious school. For the past few days, all Akko had done was create problems for her teachers and peers. 

After a few moments of awkward silence, Akko finally asked, “How exactly am I famous? I don’t get it.”

“You mean, you dunno?”

“Err, yeah. I guess not.”

Amanda sighed, as if she suddenly felt bad, “Well, if you gotta know, these two girls have been spreading rumors about you. They say you have a huge crush on Diana Cavendish, the all mighty aristocratic bitch. They posted stuff about you on the school’s page. The two were saying how you were stalking her and that you were pretending to be horrible at magic so she would mentor you. Honestly, the whole story is pretty wild.”

Akko was absolutely stunned. She didn’t know what to say. Was she even able to say anything? Her mouth seemed to have become dry while Amanda was explaining the situation. Many questions circled Akko’s head. Rather than asking the most important question, Akko instead decided to ask, “Our school has a page?”

The redhead snorted, “I can’t tell if you’re being serious or not, but yeah. Normally we’re all ‘old-fashioned’ and don’t really use technology, but we have a page. It lets students talk with each other or whatever. You can read all of Hannah and Barbara’s nasty comments about you there.”

Amanda grabbed her device from her sash and showed Akko the posts, “Wild, right?”

The posts read:

england.hannah: OMG. Did you guys see the new kid Atsuko Kagari staring at Diana???? does she have like, a crush on her or something??!! 

barbparker: @england.hannah also, theres no way she is that bad at magic, right??? all luna nova students are witches so she doesnt need tutoring from diana!! >:((

The young witch rolled her eyes. “What did I even do to them? Professor Ursula just wanted me to have extra tutoring! This is so unfair! Doesn’t the principal have any control over this?”

Amanda shrugged, “Dunno, beats me. I think the page is student-run or whatever. The teachers and principal probably don’t even know. It doesn’t really matter though. Just don’t ever let the aristocratic asshats get to you, especially Diana’s slaves. They’re the worst.”

“Yeah, I’ll try to not get myself into that mess. I just don’t want people thinking I have a crush on Diana Cavendish. That’s just a whole different level of gross,” Akko gagged. 

Amanda barked out a laugh, “I like you already, Akko!”

*^*^*^*^*

Diana stared at Akko during their last class before the school day was over. She was so irritated with Akko, yet there was a hint of infatuation that couldn’t be easily ridden. Diana silently cursed as she repeatedly thought about her mother’s astrology reading; it was scarily accurate.

Before she knew it, the bell rang and class was over. That meant it was time to tutor Akko.

Akko tapped on Diana’s shoulder as she was packing up her bag, “Hey, teach!”

“Just call me Diana,” Diana muttered. She was already so annoyed by Akko, yet they’ve known each other for a total of only three days.

“Not much for talking, huh?” Akko sighed. “I guess it can’t be helped. You still don’t like me, right? I mean, your roommates did post that stuff about me.”

Diana sat in silence for a while. Her mind started racing, realizing that a red flag had already been put up. Diana inquired, “What do you mean?” 

The brunette was taken aback, surprised that Diana didn’t know about the posts, “Amanda O’Neill showed me these posts on the school page. They were written by your roommates, Hannah and Barbara.” 

Diana tried to keep her tranquility as she quickly got up to grab Akko by the arm, dragging her to Diana’s dorm room. “I can’t believe I have to fix a mess made by three complete idiots.” 

“I’m not part of those idiots,” Akko protested. “I’d like to say that I’m a victim! Hmph.”

For a second, Diana felt sympathy, “I know it’s not your fault. I apologize.”

Akko blushed as she muttered under her breath, “Maybe I am an idiot, nevermind.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing…”

Diana burst through her dorm room door, “Barbara! Hannah! I would like a word with you two.”

Hannah mumbled, “Crap.”

Diana was so angry, yet she couldn’t show it. That was how it was all the time. No matter what the scenario was, she could not show a single hint of faltering. She needed to be tranquil and keep her composure; that was how she kept herself sane. She kept her voice steady and low, “I heard from Akko that you two have been spreading unnecessary posts online. What is the meaning of this?” 

Barbara was ready to speak, but Hannah had interrupted her, quickly trying to gather her thoughts, “Posts? I don’t think you heard Akko correctly. We haven’t done a single thing wrong. Right, Barbara? Diana, have you ever seen the posts? You can’t believe Akko just on her words alone.”

Barbara nodded, but she slightly faltered. She knew what Hannah was saying was a complete lie that could have easily been debunked, but it was probably the best cover-up they could think of on the spot. They didn’t think they would get ratted out so easily because nearly no one used technology at Luna Nova. 

Diana wasn’t sure whether to believe Hannah and Barbara or not. Although they had been friends for the longest time at Luna Nova, they have also shown to be quite devious at times. She couldn't trust them based on words alone. She needed to be there for Akko too, even if Diana has only known Akko for less than a week. Diana sighed, “Then give me one of your devices so I can check. I need to hurry and finish this dispute to fulfill my duty as Akko’s mentor.” 

Barbara whispered to Hannah as she handed over her device to the blonde, “Sorry, Hannah.”

As Diana read the posts, she was infuriated, but she had a deep emotion of embarrassment as well. Did they really believe Akko had romantic feelings for Diana? She quickly put those thoughts away, “We’ll talk later. I need to tutor Akko. We’ve wasted enough time already.”

Hannah and Barbara moved aside as Diana brought Akko to her side of the room. Diana’s side of the room was separated from the other side with a large bookshelf, so it gave them a little privacy. However, that didn’t really account for noises. Her two roommates weren’t allowed to go into her side without her permission, but they could still hear. 

Diana sat down on her bed and pulled out her book of magic. She patted the spot beside her, motioning Akko to sit down, “You’re currently struggling on the basics, right?” 

Akko nodded in embarrassment, “Uh, yeah! I don’t know what’s considered basic though. One time I did this really cool thing with Shiny Rod and transformed the wand into a huge bow! It’s hard to believe that I can’t really do basic spells if I can do that.”

“Can you show me?” Diana asked out of curiosity. She didn’t believe for one second that Akko was capable of wielding the Shiny Rod, much less perform a spell with it. She knew that the Shiny Rod was proposed to be a manifestation of the power of the Seven Words of Arcturus and the staff was manifested in the world to choose a witch to become its owner, but to think Akko had been chosen by the wand was preposterous. 

The younger witch got up and took the Shiny Rod out of her bag, “I’m not sure if it’ll work again, but I’ll try!”

Diana’s eyes widened, amazed by the wand. The Shiny Rod was a beige staff, with a golden ornament at the end and seven crystals known as the Seven Stars—it was also Shiny Chariot’s most prized possession. 

Akko took in a deep breath as she began chanting the words to cast the spell, “Noctu Orfei Aude Fraetor!” 

Nothing happened. 

“Th-That’s weird. What was supposed to happen was this wand turned into a glowing bow and arrow. B-Believe me! I guess it just wasn’t the right time to do it or something,” Akko stammered as she sat back down on Diana’s bed, slumping in defeat. “I was really hoping I would be able to show it to you. I don’t want to seem like a useless witch all the time. It’s frustrating, you know?”

Diana’s heart hammered. She didn’t know what was happening, but for a split second, she felt a need to comfort Akko and tell her everything was going to be okay. “It’s alright, Akko. With practice, you’ll be able to cast the spell at will. I know you can do it.”

“Thanks, Diana. It really means a lot,” Akko softly smiled. “I know I haven’t been the greatest person to be around, but I’ve been trying.”

Diana realized she had been smiling at Akko, so she quickly turned back to her usual stern face, “R-Right. We should continue studying, we’ve wasted enough time as it is.” 

That was embarrassing.

“Oka~ay. What are we gonna start on?” Akko sighed. The truth was, no matter how much Akko loved the arts of magic, she could never get herself to study it. She loathed doing homework and reading ancient books that didn’t even make sense. 

Diana hummed, “How about some simple shape-shifting spell? 

Akko jumped in excitement, “That would be really cool in a magic show, you know! Let’s do this!”

“It’s a pretty basic spell, but if you must,” Diana’s cold gaze deepened as she had remembered Akko’s love for Shiny Chariot. She was still jealous of how easily Akko could express her excitement for the forgotten witch without worrying about being criticized. 

“Metamorphie Faciesse is the incantation of this transformation spell,” Diana explained. “The user must have a clear image of the person or animal you wish to transform into. Otherwise, the user will simply fail.”

Akko, who barely took any of that information in, exclaimed in excitement, “Let’s do this!”

“Well, first you’ll need an example,” Diana rolled her eyes. “You won’t be able to learn that easily. Magic isn’t just some ‘monkey see, monkey do’ business.” 

Akko huffed, “Okay, okay. You go ahead and do your thing, your majesty.”

“Metamorphie Faciesse!” Diana casted the spell in the blink of an eye. Clouds of smoke surrounded Diana’s figure, so it was difficult to see what she had transformed into. However, the clouds quickly blew away. 

Diana had transformed into an adorable platinum blonde kitten with sea green eyes. 

“Awh! You’re so cute,” Akko chuckled. 

Diana’s focus was quickly driven away, forcing her to transform back. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks and ears. 

“Okay, my turn!” Akko eagerly insisted. “Metamor—wait, what was it again?”

“Metamor… Metamorphie Faciesse,” Diana barely croaked out, still trying to get over Akko’s compliment. 

“Metamorphie Faciesse!” Akko exclaimed the incantation as she swung her wand. 

Nothing happened. 

discontinued from here.


End file.
